Khobragade is back in India now after being asked to leave by the US. And a US diplomat is back home in retaliatory expulsion by New Delhi. Both countries now believe it's time to move on.

Jaishankar had a meeting at the state department on Monday and followed it up with a "productive" lunch with Burns.

"They agreed that the past several weeks have been challenging, and affirmed that we are both committed to moving forward to resume cooperation on the broad range of bilateral issues before us," said the statement department in a statement.

US ICE officials returned three stolen sculptures to India at its New York consulate, where Khobragade worked at the time of her arrest. She was subsequently transferred to India's permanent mission to the United Nations.

The three sculptures are worth $1.5 million and one of them was listed as one of Interpol's top 10 most wanted stolen works of art. They were reported stolen in 2009.

"The excellent international cooperation between the United States and India led to the recovery and return of these priceless antiquities," said ICE official James A Dinkins.

"The pilfering of a nation's cultural patrimony cannot and will not be tolerated," he added.

Two of the sculptures -- "Vishnu and Lakshmi" and "Vishnu and Parvati" -- were stolen from the Gadgach Temple in Atru, Rajasthan. They are of similar antiquity -- 11th or 12th century AD.

The third sculpture is that of a Bodhisatva from Bihar or West Bengal.

ICE started investigating the theft of the Rajasthan sculptures in April, 2010 when its agents heard someone was trying to sell the recently looted antiquities in New York.

The "Vishnu and Lakshmi" work reached the US through a long route, changing hands several times -- from India it went to Hong Kong, then to Thailand and then London.

The London owner brought it to the US for an exhibition, but ICE agents caught it on its way back. That was in July, 2010. The sister piece was recovered in follow-up action.

The Bodhisatva sculpture was seized in 2011 when it was being smuggled into the country.